Biographies from The History of Columbia County,
Wisconsin, 1880 


Contributed by Carol carolann612@charter.net
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm


From The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, 1880,
publ. by Western Historical Company, Chicago, Page
980-981

HENRY A. WHITNEY, hardware merchant, Columbus; was
born in Windham Co., Vt., April 20, 1819; is the son
of Warren and Caroline WHITNEY, both of whom died in
Windham Co.; Mr. WHITNEY was educated in the common
schools of his native State, and at the age of 14
years, began dealing Yankee notions, which he
continued a few years through that State; emigrating
to Illinois in 1839, he located on a farm near Peoria,
and there devoted his attention to agriculture for two
years; removing then to Rockford, Ill., he continued
farming another year; he came to Columbus, Wis. in
1844, built a small frame house where the Fox House
now stands, and began merchandising in one part of it,
and keeping tavern in the other; after conducting his
business in these somewhat cramped circumstances for a
few years, he sold out his hotel and erected another
building near the first one, and continued his
mercantile trade and livery business; about a year
later, he began buying produce and drawing it to the
lumber regions of this State, and taking in exchange
therefore lumber, which he would raft down the
Mississippi to St. Louis, losing nearly all his lumber
by the breaking of his raft, one day, at Alton, Ill.,
where he beheld all he had in the world floating down
the river, with no apparent destination; returning
then to Columbus, he began drawing provisions to Green
Bay, and trading with the Indians, he next bought back
the hotel, and was again proprietor of the same for
nearly three years, after which he turned his
attention to buying wheat and hauling it to Milwaukee,
returning either with his wagons loaded with goods for
the merchants of his village or emigrants for this
section of the country;  much of his travel being done
with ox teams, it would require from ten to fourteen
days to make a trip to Milwaukee and return; a few
years later, he began dealing in live stock, and
shipped the first car load from this part of the
country; after filling Government contracts for stock
two or three years, he then took up the hardware trade
and livery business; he also built the WHITNEY House
(now the Fox House), the roof of which was put on just
eighteen days after the foundation was laid, and he
was its proprietor for the next eight years; disposing
of the hotel at that time, he has since continued the
hardware trade.  Mr. WHITNEY was Postmaster at
Columbus in an early day; he has several times been a
member of the Village Board and City Council.  He now
owns a farm of 300 acres in the town of Columbus; four
farms in the town of Fountain Prairie - one of 280
acres, another of 308, a third of 130 acres, and the
fourth of 120 acres; he also has three farms in the
town of Otsego - the first contains 300 acres, the
second 260, the third 130 acres; two in Dodge Co. -
one of 200 acres, near Loss Lake, the other of 180
acres in the town of Calamus; he also has two farms,
of 120 acres each, near Augusta, Eau Claire Co., Wis.,
and one of 160 acres at Fairmount, Minn.  Mr. WHITNEY
was married to Miss Helen M., daughter of John and
Nabby PIERSON, of Rockford, Ill., but a native of
Vermont.  Their children are Alonzo and Orlina (now
the wife of Mack LEE).  Mr. W. has been a member of
the Masonic Fraternity for twenty-five years.

Page 981

JOHN WARNING, farmer, Sec. 28; P.O. Columbus; was born
in Mecklenburg-Scherin in 1828, and came to America in
1854; located in the village of Columbus, where he
worked four years for Mr. EDSON; he then bought 45
acres on Sec. 8, where he lived till 1875, when he
bought his present farm of 80 acres on Sec. 28, and
has since made his home.  He was married in 1857, to
Miss Mena REILKNECK, a native of Germany; they have
one daughter - Eliza.  They are members of the
Lutheran Church.

JOHN WILLIAMS, druggist, Columbus; is a native of
Breconshire, South Wales, born in 1842; his parents,
John and Mary Ann (DAVIS) WILLIAMS, had a family of
sixteen children, of whom he is the sixth; his father
was a farmer in Wales, but John early turned his
attention to the drug trade, and has since continued
in it; in 1860, with his brother Thomas, he emigrated
to America, and located at Adrian, Mich., for a short
time, and in 1861 they came to Columbus, Wis., where
he has since lived and continued the drug business;
his brother afterward went to San Francisco, where he
died March 17, 1880.  Mr. WILLIAMS was married in 1863
to Miss Martha B. SMITH, a native of Yates Co., N.Y.,
born in 1841, and came to Columbus, wtih her parents
in 1843.  Their children are Sidney H., George E., and
Charles H.  They are members of the M. E. Church.

Submitted by Carol